WEBVTT

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So I think that I should
read some more freeway

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poems because this is Los
Angeles we're talking about.

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I wonder if I--

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I've got to have some someplace.

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Oh, and-- all right.

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So this book is called
World Ball Notebook.

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And it's about
the 10 year period

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that my kids were in soccer.

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They grew out of it.

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They went to college, moved
out of the house, and so forth.

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So there's a time jump from
the van to this poem here.

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And it's "Game 117."

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The poems in this book
I just called games

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because we kept going
back to that soccer field

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over, and over, and over.

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And if you're working
full time and you're

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engaged in all these
different activities

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and then the kid needs to go to
soccer, you're like, oh, man.

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Again.

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And then you're out
there yelling like, go.

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Because they didn't even
have soccer when I was a kid.

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And you don't even
know the rules.

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What do you mean offside?

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She's faster than everybody.

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[LAUGHTER]

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And then the kid afterwards
is like, dad, stop yelling.

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Anyway, whatever.

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All right.

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So she went to college.

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And then her first
year out of college--

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she went to the California
Maritime Academy.

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The only Maritime Academy
on the West Coast.

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The only-- probably the only
college on the West Coast

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that has 100% employment
after graduation for you

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students who want a job.

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She graduated with a Third
Mate's Coast Guard license,

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which means that
she can pilot ships.

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She went up to
the Arctic Circle.

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And ran tugboats
during the summertime

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working with these all-male
crew of ex-cons and whatever.

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She's got herself a big knife.

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And in six months-- in her
first six months after college

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she made more than me
after 30 years of teaching.

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I resent that.

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[LAUGHTER]

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Whatever.

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She just be like,
dad, get on with it.

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"So the kid flew in
from Hawaii yesterday,

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a bit frumpy and grumpy.

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A bit sunburned.

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Because of lack of
sleep and long hours

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changing planes in Phoenix.

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Waiting in Burbank for her ride.

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And then at home, a turnaround.

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A phone call from
Alaska telling her

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that her flight is set
for 10:00 AM the next day

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to Bethel via Anchorage.

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Pretty much all flights go
to outlying areas in Alaska

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to drop her in Anchorage
for the transfer.

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So she's looking at another
day flight with layovers,

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and frumpy, and grumpy.

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Fooling around with her $2,000
new toys, the Apple computer,

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and the iPod to keep
herself entertained.

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Many hours in flight, and in
airports, and aboard ship.

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Having to bunk in shared
cabins with middle aged seamen.

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And we're up at 6:00 AM.

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Out of the house at 6:30.

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At 7:00 AM as I arrive
at LAX on the West Side,

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which is 7:00 to the 105.

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Rush hour traffic
with freeway on clover

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leafs curling like
parking lots around us.

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She says, I'm flying
out of Burbank.

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[LAUGHTER]

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So she waits til I'm at
LAX to tell me, of course,

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it's 7:00 AM and the
freeways are gridlocked.

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Was I cursing.

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The Nissan is growling
screaming, start, stop.

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It's fucking rush hour.

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I'm off the 105.

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Illegal U-turn, back eastward.

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80 miles an hour
to the 405 North.

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Bumper to bumper, of course.

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I drift across the
divider at La Cienega

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and head East on
the surface streets.

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La Cienega.

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At least it's 35 miles an hour.

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Zoom all the way to the 10.

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Endless bumper to bumper
stop and go traffic.

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What the hell was she thinking?

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What is this?

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This is the second
kid to do this to me.

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[LAUGHTER]

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How?

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West on the 10, through West LA.

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Reconnect to the 405 North,
which is flowing at 50 or 60.

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Mulholland pass to the Valley.

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Past the 101 and the 170
across San Fernando Valley.

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Get off at Victory Boulevard,
where the hell am I?

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In the Valley somewhere there's
a damned airport police car.

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I know the airport is
around here somewhere.

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Victory Boulevard.

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Burbank Boulevard.

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Where is it?

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Miles and miles
Southeast on Victory

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to the signs for the airport.

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Arrive at Burbank Airport
loading zone 8:20 AM.

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She's pleased to
make her flight."

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